What you need to know about today’s election in Montgomery County

Montgomery County voters will choose their new top official Tuesday in what polling predicts will be a very tight race.

Current council members Andrew Friedson, Evan Glass and Will Jawando all hope to earn the Democratic primary nomination for county executive. With more than 70% of county voters registered as Democrats, the primary typically foreshadows the winner of November’s general election.

Also on the county ballot: County Council, the board of education, sheriff and circuit court judges.

County executive

Because a ballot initiative in November 2024 limits the county executive to two terms, the current holder of that office, Marc Elrich, may not run for the office again.

Housing is a top issue in the race, with Friedson advocating for increased development and Jawando focusing on rent stabilization. Glass has embraced aspects of both approaches.

Data center regulation has also become a key topic in recent months. While all three candidates said they are concerned about data centers’ impacts on residents and the environment, they differ on how to handle the issue. Glass has proposed a six-month moratorium, while Jawando favors a two-year pause. Alternatively, Friedson has proposed requiring data centers to “pay their own way” to offset environmental costs.

Two other Democrats, Mithun Banerjee and Peter James, are also running in the county executive race. Republicans Shelly Skolnick and Esther Wells are competing for their party’s nomination.

Montgomery County Board of Elections President David Naimon said voters should not be surprised if results are not ready on election night.

“Taking at least two weeks to have final results is not new, and not a bug, but a feature,” Naimon said. “That’s the system. It’s been that way for at least 40 years, and it allows our military and overseas voters’ ballots to arrive.”

Voters can observe the canvass in-person or online, he noted.

It’s not the first time in recent years that there’s been a tight race for county executive. In the 2022 primary for county executive, the margin between incumbent Marc Elrich and challenger David Blair was so slight — 35 votes — that the elections board conducted a recount at Blair’s request.

The recount gave Blair three more votes but cinched Erlich’s second term. It also delayed the final results of the mid-July primary until late August.

County Council

All 11 council seats — four at-large and seven district — are up for reelection. Regulations forbid the three council members running for county executive to run for their current seats.

Just one at-large incumbent, Laurie-Anne Sayles, is running for a second term. Sixteen Democrats and one Republican join her on the largest slate of candidates for four at-large seats that the county has seen in recent years. Elrich is among them, hoping to maintain a voice in county government.

Friedson’s county executive campaign leaves the District 1 seat vacant, in a contest has attracted several high-profile candidates. Current school board member Julie Yang, Elrich staffer Debbie Spielberg and transportation planner and former council staffer Drew Morrison are all seeking the Democratic Party nomination. Republican Reardon Sullivan is also running.

Another key race is in District 3, where after three terms, current council member Sidney Katz is term-limited. Gaithersburg Mayor Jud Ashman, Rockville City Council member Izola Shaw and former federal worker Allison Eriksen are seeking the Democratic nomination. One Republican, Ricky Mui, will represent his party on the ballot.

In District 4, incumbent Kate Stewart is seeking a second term and faces challenges from community activist Paula Bienenfeld and policy analyst Rocky Whitesell. District 5 incumbent Kristin Mink faces a challenge from IT project manager Charles Kirchman. District 6 representative and current council President Natali-Fani-González is facing competition from former federal worker Sonia Garcia.

District 7 incumbent Dawn Luedtke faces a challenge from small business owner Van Free and former county police officer Sharif Hidayat. In District 2, council member Marilyn Balcombe is running an uncontested race.

Voters will also be choosing new school board members and deciding whether to keep or replace the county’s sheriff.

How to vote

Polls are open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. on Tuesday. You can find your polling place here or by texting FIND to 77788.

Naimon said it’s important to ensure that you’re voting at the correct polling place. While any voter could vote anywhere during early voting, which ended on Thursday, only district-specific ballots will be available at election day precincts.

“For example, if you live Upcounty and you work in Silver Spring, and you decide to vote at the Silver Spring Civic building on election day, you could easily miss the election for the 6th Congressional District, for the state legislature, for your district council member,” Naimon said.

If you received a mail-in ballot but haven’t sent it back yet, you can drop it off at one of more than 60 drop boxes located throughout the county. A full list is available here.

Naimon encouraged mail-in voters who do not want to use a drop box to make sure their ballot is postmarked at a U.S. post office. Only votes postmarked on election day will be counted, he said.

If you still need to register to vote, Maryland offers same-day registration at all polling sites. You must bring an MVA-issued license, ID card, or change of address card, or your paycheck, bank statement, utility bill, or other government document with your name and address to prove your residency and eligibility.

Last month, the state elections board had to reissue more than 400,000 mail ballots after voters reported receiving ballots for the wrong party. While elections officials said most voters’ ballots were correct, it’s not possible for the state to determine which voters received incorrect ballots, so they replaced the whole batch.

Naimon said that, as always, only one vote will be counted per voter, even if they send in both ballots. If a voter only sends in the incorrect ballot, their votes will only be counted for nonpartisan races, such as school board.